Charlie Howard doesn’t just write books about a career thief, he also happens to be one.

In Amsterdam working on his latest novel, Charlie is approached by a mysterious American who asks him to steal two apparently worthless monkey figurines from two separate addresses on the same night. At first, he says no. Then he changes his mind. Only later, kidnapped and bound to a chair, the American very dead, and a spell in police custody behind him, does Charlie begin to realize how costly a mistake he might have made.

The police think he killed the American. Others think he knows the whereabouts of the elusive third monkey. But for Charlie only three things matter. Can he clear his name? Can he get away with the haul of a lifetime? And can he solve the gaping plot hole in his latest novel?

Quotes & Awards

“An impressive, very funny debut novel…featuring Charlie Howard, who is the very model of a modern master criminal.”

News & Observer (Raleigh)

“The ease with which Ewan creates a memorable protagonist and pits him against a plausible and tricky killer will be the envy of many more established authors. The detection is first-rate, and Howard is a fresh, irreverent creation who will make readers eager for his next exploit.”

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Ewan’s droll, funny, noirish style, cleverly drawn central character, and great descriptions of locale will make this a popular new series.”

Library Journal

Listener Opinions

Daniela | 2/1/2014

" good start to the book but the ending way too long "

Colin | 1/26/2014

" This is a lighted hearted spoof of mysterys. I liked because I just got back from Amsterdam, so I knew where he was and the general lay of the land. It was smart-assed, but with tongue in check, but good for a quick read. In the series he has done London and Paris. I think that I will give them a pass. "

Lisa | 11/22/2013

" Great to read the first book by my ex-class mate Chris! A level history now seems a long time ago! a great twist to have a character (as others have said and they are right), who is both a crime writer and a thief! is there something Chris would like to fess up to?! way to go Chris! :) "

Anne | 10/28/2013

" Under the guise of being "funny," this book shows no real substance and is actually a total waste of time. "

Cheryl | 10/28/2013

" Thought I had it figured out and then they surprised me anyway. I like that in a book. I will likely read the second title in this series. "

Tonya Heffelbower | 10/11/2013

" Very much enjoyed this mystery. So much so, that I will be puttng the next book in the series on my "to read" list. The author paints a wonderful picture of details of the characters and places. It was a very quick read and kept me guessing. "

Liz Gallagher | 10/7/2013

" Cleverly written...looking forward to reading another Ewan book. "

Connie | 8/29/2013

" Fun and charming. I enjoyed the new sleuth and look forward to more in the series. "

Lindig | 7/7/2013

" Wannabe Bernie Rhodenbarr with less humor. "

Karen | 5/14/2013

" This was a very complicated murder mystery, with several twists. My only reluctance was that the english was phrased oddly at times. Completely threw me out of the story every time it happened. "

Laurie | 5/4/2013

" Cool concept and I like the way he presented the case of the theft and the twists of plot were fun "

" I really enjoyed this. They main character is likeable, even though he's a burglar. There were many twists and turns. I found the end device of getting everyone into a room pretty unbelievable, but the story is overall a good whodunit. Not intensely violent, which is always a positive. "

Alisa | 11/9/2012

" Nice little mystery. Made me really want to visit Amsterdam again. And I found the main character intriguing in that he was a book writer/thief at the same time. "

Joanne | 10/8/2012

" Interesting story. Plot had lots of twists/turns. Reminds me of "white collar". not sure what I think about the writing style. Will probably try one more to see if I like it enough to continue. "

Maria | 3/26/2012

" Not nearly as fun as a Cary Grant caper movie. "

Patty | 12/29/2011

" I enjoyed this book. There was one plot problem that I probably wouldn't have found had the "author" not been talking about plot problems *though I'm sure others would have}. It makes me wonder if he purposely left the problem. "

Ava Fradkin | 7/18/2011

" this book was fun and unique. good wry humor and kept me thinking. "

Petula Darling | 7/5/2011

" I really enjoyed this, but the ridiculous J'accuse! scene at the end kept it from being four stars. "

Gunther | 6/24/2011

" I'm pretty unenthusiastic about this book. The book read like Dashiell Hammett for high Schooler's.
"

Jaylynn | 2/28/2011

" I have read this book before and loved it. Is easy to read, and very entertaining. Its about a writer that writes about a thief, but he is also a thief. The story takes many twists and turns. This book has 2 more in its series. Its a fun read.
"

Barbara | 2/3/2011

" A fun little mystery novel set (obviously) in Amsterdam with a thief/author protagonist. Well plotted and written.
"

Craig | 12/13/2010

" Not sure that I'll read anymore of the Good Thief series. I liked the setting, but the plot seemed to bog down about 2/3 of the way through. I enjoyed the Vegas book a bit more.
"

Joe | 12/1/2010

" A fairly slick concept with a helluva lead and a nice little a-ha at the end. Recommended.
"

Daniela | 11/7/2010

" good start to the book but the ending way too long
"

Coki | 9/25/2010

" Ehn . . . really thought this would be fun and funny and it just was kinda blah. Not bad just not . . . engaging. Not the story, not the character, not the writing. Boo
"

Anne | 8/19/2010

" Under the guise of being "funny," this book shows no real substance and is actually a total waste of time.
"

Linda | 8/7/2010

" On top of it being rather mediocre, it was so badly edited : grammatical and orthographic mistakes. Annoying.
"

Theresa | 3/27/2010

" I am glad this book was just over two hundred pages as I really did not enjoy it at all. Any longer and I don't think I could have finished it. Boring and predictable.
"

Jenni | 3/24/2010

" The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam was much less funny that I was expecting from the back blurb. I'd envisioned something more like Lawrence Block's burgular and while Charlie was a decent narrator, he didn't draw me in and beguile me like Bernie does so well.
"

Other Titles by Chris Ewan:

About the Author

Chris Ewan
began his crime-writing career with TheGood Thief’s Guide to Amsterdam,
which was called one of the “best books for grown-ups” by Publishers Weekly and
one of the best thrillers of the year by the London Times. The Huffington Post also named Ewan one of America’s
favorite British authors. He lives on the Isle of Man.

About the Narrator

Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and an AudioFile Golden Voice with over forty Earphones Awards. He has won thirteen prestigious Audie Awards and was Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London.

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